CURRENTLY, ENERGY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS FOR BUILDINGS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE PRIMARY ENERGY SOURCE CONSUMPTION, CO2 EMISSIONS OR NET ENERGY DISTRIBUTION, WHICH TOGETHER SET THE BUILDING?S ENERGY EFFICIENCY. THE EVALUATION IS FREQUENTLY BASED ON SETPOINT TEMPERATURES AND HOURS OF OPERATION. HOWEVER, THESE FIXED PARAMETERS ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR SOCIAL HOUSING SIMULATION AS THEIR PERFORMANCE TENDS TO BE IN FREE RUNNING, EXCLUDING EXTREMELY COLD OR WARM CONDITIONS. THEREFORE, A MORE SUCCESSFUL ASSESSMENT FOR THE EFFICIENCY OF THESE BUILDINGS IS THE USERS? CAPABILITY TO LIVE WITHIN ADAPTIVE COMFORT RANGES WITHOUT AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS. THE AIM OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO ANALYZE NEW CHILEAN STANDARDS FOR SUSTAINABLE SOCIAL HOUSING IN THE CONTEXT OF CLIMATE CHANGE USING THE ADAPTIVE COMFORT APPROACH ADDRESSED IN EN 15251:2007. USING ENERGYPLUS SIMULATION SOFTWARE, 16 PARAMETRIC SERIES ARE ANALYZED FOR CURRENT CONDITIONS AND VALIDATED AGAINST ON-SITE MEASUREMENTS. MEANWHILE, A PREDICTION FOR THE CLIMATE IN 2050 HAS ALSO BEEN TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT. THE CASE STUDY IS THE MOST WIDESPREAD LOW COST DWELLING MODEL. THE STUDY DEMONSTRATES THAT THE PERIOD OF TIME WITHIN THERMAL COMFORT CONDITIONS VARIES SUBSTANTIALLY IF ANALYSIS IS DONE USING THE ADAPTIVE COMFORT STANDARD OR THE SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION CODE (CCS) FOR CHILEAN HOUSING. CONSIDERING CLIMATE CHANGE, THE PERCENTAGE OF TIME FLUCTUATES FROM ?19.00% TO 24.30%. CONCLUDING THAT THE ADAPTIVE COMFORT MODEL HAS A GREATER CAPACITY TO POSITIVELY ASSESS INDOOR TEMPERATURES FOR SOCIAL HOUSING IN CENTRAL-SOUTHERN CHILE. THIS RESEARCH ALSO ESTABLISHES THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO PROVIDE HOMES WHERE STANDARDS ARE IMPROVED WITHIN COMFORT CONDITIONS WITHOUT USING ARTIFICIAL MEANS, 99.67% OF THE TIME CURRENTLY AND 88.89% IN THE FUTURE.

FUEL POVERTY IS A PERTINENT ISSUE FOR VULNERABLE HOUSEHOLDS BOTH IN INDUSTRIALIZED AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, WHICH IS RELATED TO ENERGY PRICES AND ACCESSIBILITY OF ENERGY SERVICES. THIS RESEARCH EXPLORES THE FEASIBILITY OF PREDICTIVE MODELS TO PREVENT FUEL POVERTY THROUGH THE FUEL POVERTY POTENTIAL RISK INDEX (FPPRI). TWO STATISTICAL MODELS, MULTIPLE LINEAR REGRESSION (MLR) AND ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS (ANN), HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED AND APPLIED TO PREDICT THE PROBABILITY OF LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS FALLING INTO FUEL POVERTY WHEN BEING ALLOCATED A SOCIAL DWELLING. THE CASE STUDY USED TO VALIDATE THE MODEL IS LOCATED IN THE BIO-BIO REGION OF CHILE AND THE HOUSEHOLDS CONSIDERED BELONG TO THE MOST VULNERABLE SOCIAL STRATA. THE MODELS HAVE CONSIDERED THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTIVE FEATURES OF COMMON TYPOLOGIES OF CHILEAN SOCIAL DWELLINGS, FAMILY INCOME LEVELS, CHANGES IN ENERGY USAGE PATTERNS AND ENERGY PRICES. THROUGH EXTENSIVE SIMULATION AND TESTING, ANNS HAVE BEEN FOUND TO BE MORE ACCURATE THAN MLRS FOR ALL SITUATIONS, WITH A R2 COEFFICIENT ABOVE 99.6% AND 80.7% RESPECTIVELY, DESPITE THEIR GREATER COMPLEXITY. THE RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH CAN BE USEFUL IN PROVIDING TOOLS TO FAIRLY AND ACCURATELY ASSIGN SOCIAL DWELLINGS TO VULNERABLE HOUSEHOLDS TO PREVENT THEM FROM FALLING INTO FUEL POVERTY.

17TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE COMPUTATIONAL AND MATHEMATICAL METHODS IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING. COSTA BALLENA, ROTA (CÁDIZ), ESPAÑA

IN RECENT YEARS THERE HAS BEEN RENEWED INTEREST IN INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR COATING MORTARS. PREVIOUS RESEARCH HAS CLARIFIED THE IMPORTANCE OF SUBSTITUTING A PERCENTAGE OF CEMENT BY OTHER BINDERS, AND THUS FOCUSED ON A GOOD BALANCE BETWEEN STRUCTURAL AND THERMAL PROPERTIES. HOWEVER, THE EFFECT ON THE ECONOMIC COST AND THE CARBON FOOTPRINT IS YET TO BE FULLY UNDERSTOOD. IN THIS CONTEXT, THE PRESENT STUDY AIMED AT INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF HYDRAULIC LIME AS A PARTIAL SUBSTITUTE FOR CEMENT AND EXPANDED PERLITE IN THE STRUCTURAL AND THERMAL PROPERTIES OF MORTARS WHILE CONSIDERING THE ECONOMIC COST AND THE CARBON FOOTPRINT AS FUNDAMENTAL VARIABLES. WE EMPLOYED A COMBINATION OF LABORATORY TESTS AND THEORETICAL CALCULATIONS TO CLARIFY THE OPTIMAL BALANCE BETWEEN ALL CONSIDERED VARIABLES. THE FINDINGS SHOWED THAT THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY CAN BE REDUCED UP TO 87.25% AND DENSITY UP TO 78.94% IF COMPARED WITH A STANDARD MORTAR; ON THE CONTRARY, MECHANICAL PROPERTIES ARE COMPROMISED YET SUFFICIENT FOR RENDERING PURPOSES. THE FINAL PRODUCT IS AFFORDABLE, AND ITS CARBON FOOTPRINT IS REMARKABLY LOWER THAN OTHER ALTERNATIVES. WE CONCLUDED THAT THESE MORTARS CAN DELIVER OPTIMAL PROPERTIES FOR RENDERING PURPOSES, EXCEPT FOR THE MECHANICAL RESISTANCE, WHICH DEMANDS FURTHER RESEARCH. IN TURN, OUR FINDINGS PROVIDE EVIDENCE FOR DEVISING FEASIBLE OPTIONS TO MAINTAIN OR REPAIR BUILDINGS ON A CONSTRAINED BUDGET, AS IN THE CASE OF SOCIAL DWELLINGS.

WELL CEMENTING OPERATIONS ARE CRUCIAL DURING THE DRILLING AND COMPLETION OF OIL WELLS. THE CEMENT SHEATH MUST HAVE SEALING ABILITY THROUGHOUT THE WELL?S LIFE AND PROVIDE LONG-TERM ZONAL ISOLATION IN HOSTILE DOWNHOLE CONDITIONS TO AVOID POTENTIAL REMEDIAL COSTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS. IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF API CEMENTS, THE REINFORCEMENT WITH DISPERSED FIBERS PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE. SCREENING TESTS WERE PERFORMED TO EVALUATE FIBER TYPES (CARBON, POLYPROPYLENE, MINERAL) WITH THE AIM OF COMPARING CEMENT COMPOSITES THAT PROVIDE IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR. ALL THE SLURRIES SHOWED PUMPABILITY VALUES AT ROOM TEMPERATURE BELOW 70 BC (BEARDON UNITS OF CONSISTENCY) AND ARE REGARDED TO BE PUMPABLE. ALL THE FIBER REINFORCED CEMENT COMPOSITES PRESENTED A NOTABLE INCREASE IN IMPACT RESISTANCE (UP TO 120 %) AND FLEXURAL STRENGTH (UP TO 80%) COMPARED TO THE VALUES FOR UNREINFORCED MATRIX. CARBON AND MINERAL FIBERS ALSO SHOW A NOTEWORTHY CAPACITY TO INCREASE OR MAINTAIN THE TENSILE AND COMPRESSIVE STRENGTHS (DATA WERE USUALLY IN THE RANGES 1?2 AND 30?45 MPA, RESPECTIVELY) OF API CEMENT SYSTEMS; HOWEVER, COMPRESSIVE AND TENSILE STRENGTH DATA DECREASE SIGNIFICANTLY WITH THE ADDITION OF POLYPROPYLENE FIBER TYPE (UP TO 65 AND 25%, RESPECTIVELY). THE STUDY MINERAL FIBER WITH NANO-SILICA COULD BE USEFUL TO CARRY OUT WELL CEMENTING JOBS.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN THE RESIDENTIAL SECTOR IS ONE OF THE PRIORITIES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION. IT IS ESTIMATED TO ACHIEVE AN ENERGY SAVING OF 27% IN THE GROUP OF BUILDINGS IN THE RESIDENTIAL SECTOR IN THE EU COUNTRIES BY 2020 THROUGH THE DIRECTIVES ISSUED BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION. THE HOUSING STOCK OF SPAIN ARE AMONG THE LEAST ENERGY EFFICIENT IN EUROPE AS A RESULT, TRY TO INTRODUCE GOVERNMENTAL AID TO ENCOURAGE THERMAL REFURBISHMENT OF RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS. CURRENTLY PROGRAMS ENERGY RATING IN SPAIN FOCUS ON THE EVALUATION OF ANNUAL CO2 EMISSIONS, HOWEVER INDICATORS ANNUAL PRIMARY ENERGY CONSUMPTION OR INVESTMENT COST IMPROVEMENT MEASURES ARE NOT TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT (RUA & LÓPEZ-MESA, 2012). THE TARGET IS INVESTIGATES THE ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF INVESTMENT AND SAVINGS IN ENERGY EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS TO HOUSES, MAKING A COMPARISON BETWEEN ALTERNATIVES AND STARTING SITUATIONS THAT MAY APPEAR AT THE TIME TO EVALUATE THE RESPONSE OF A BUILDING WITH ORDER TO DEEPEN ANOTHER VALID INDICATOR FOR EE ACTIONS ON EXISTING BUILDINGS (AHERN, GRIFFITHS & O'FLAHERTY, 2013).

AN ATTEMPT HAS BEEN MADE TO DEVELOP LINEAR REGRESSION MODELS AND ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS (ANN) TO PREDICT THE HEATING AND COOLING ENERGY DEMANDS, ENERGY CONSUMPTIONS AND CO2 EMISSIONS OF OFFICE BUILDINGS IN CHILE. THE CALCULATION OF DEPENDENT VARIABLES TO CALIBRATE AND EVALUATE THE MODELS HAS BEEN DETERMINED STARTING FROM THE ISO 13790:2008 STANDARD, ASSIGNING CONSTRUCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS TO EACH OF THE GEOMETRIES STUDIED BASED ON THE CHILEAN STANDARDS, STUDYING 77,000 CASES. A TOTAL OF 8 FUNDAMENTAL VARIABLES HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED TO COVER THE DESIGN PARAMETERS. IN ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND CO2 EMISSIONS CASES, THE LINEAR REGRESSION MODELS THAT OFFER A BETTER PERFORMANCE ARE THOSE WHERE THE PREDICTIVE VARIABLES HAVE BEEN TRANSFORMED. WHEREAS, THE MULTILAYER PERCEPTRON ADJUSTED OVER THE VARIABLES WITHOUT BEING TRANSFORMED, PROVIDES GREATER ACCURACY IN THE DETERMINATION OF THE DEMAND, CONSUMPTION AND CO2 EMISSIONS BOTH FOR HEATING AND COOLING, OFFERING ECM VALUES CLOSER TO 0, WITH AN R2 COEFFICIENT ABOVE 99%. IT IS FORESEEN THAT THE MODELS DEVELOPED CAN BE USED TO ESTIMATE THE ENERGY SAVING BETWEEN DIFFERENT DESIGN OUTLINES DURING THE PROJECT PHASES WHEN THE CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS, SYSTEMS AND INTERNAL LOADS ARE DEFINED.

THE AIM OF THE ARTICLE IS TO STUDY THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS FEASIBILITY THROUGH THE ANALYSIS OF ENERGY SAVINGS AND ECONOMIC INVESTMENT. THE RESULTS WERE OBTAINED FROM A MODEL STUDIED WITH DIFFERENT ORIENTATIONS, BUILDING SYSTEMS AND INTERVENTIONS, INCLUDING TWO RETROFIT OPTIONS REGARDING THERMAL TRANSMITTANCE, SPECIFIED IN APPENDIX D OF THE DBHE ORDER FOM/1635/2013, IN ORDER TO GENERATE DIFFERENT SUBCATEGORIES OF BUILDINGS. THE ANALYSIS WAS DEVELOPED ON DEMANDS AND CONSUMPTION OBTAINED FROM A TOOL CREATED BASED ON THE UNE-EN-ISO-13790: 2011 AND ASTM-E917: 2013. ONCE OBTAINED THE RESULTS IT WAS MADE AN ENERGETIC AND ECONOMIC RESULTS COMPARISON. THIS PAPER EVALUATES ECONOMICS AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY SAVINGS IMPROVEMENTS, FOR DWELLINGS, COMPARING VARIOUS ALTERNATIVES ACCORDING TO THE INITIAL SITUATION, IN ORDER TO DEEPEN INTO VALID INDICATORS FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY ACTIONS IN EXISTING BUILDINGS.

THIS CHAPTER COMMENTS ON THE MAIN POINTS ADDRESSED IN THE BOOK, SHOWING HOW BARRIERS CAN BE REMOVED AND PATHS ARE DRAWN FOR FUTURE RESEARCH AND PROGRESS, WITH A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE THAT IS APPROPRIATE TO THE CLIMATIC AND SOCIOCULTURAL CONTEXT OF THE COUNTRIES IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH.

ADAPTIVE COMFORT PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN DEFINING COMFORT STANDARDS WHEN CONSIDERING COMFORT IN BUILDINGS IN FREE-RUNNING MODE, INCLUDING ADAPTATION TO EXTERNAL TEMPERATURES, OPENING WINDOWS AND CHANGING CLOTHING. IN THIS REGARD, TWO INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS PROVIDE THE FUNDAMENTAL BASIS TO MODEL THE NECESSARY EQUATIONS: EN 16798 (FORMERLY 15251) AND ASHRAE 55?2017. THIS RESEARCH INTENDS ON ASSESSING THE FEASIBILITY OF APPLYING THESE STANDARDS TO THE CHILEAN CONTEXT, WHERE A LEGAL FRAMEWORK HAS BEGUN TO BE IMPLEMENTED TO REGULATE THE OCCUPANT?S COMFORT IN SOCIAL HOUSING. EXTENSIVE MONITORING OF INHABITANTS IN EXISTING UNITS UNDER FREE-RUNNING MODE HAS BEEN UNDERTAKEN IN SEVERAL SOCIAL HOUSING PROJECTS IN THE CITY OF CONCEPCIÓN (CHILE) AND THE COLLECTED DATA HAS BEEN CONTRASTED AGAINST THE INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS. RESULTS SHOW THAT USERS IN THESE HOUSES SHOW MORE TOLERANCE TO COLD TEMPERATURES, THUS, DESPITE BEING ALLOCATED BELOW THE STANDARDS? LOWER LIMITS, THEY ARE CONSIDERED TO BE IN THERMAL COMFORT. AS A RESULT, THE OUTCOMES OF THIS RESEARCH CAN SHED LIGHT ON THE FEASIBILITY OF APPLYING INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS TO SOCIAL HOUSING AND LOW-INCOME FAMILIES IN CHILE. THE STUDY PRESENTS A PROPOSAL FOR A NOVEL ADAPTIVE COMFORT MODEL FOR CHILE. THE NEW MODEL PROPOSES ADAPTING THE THERMAL COMFORT THRESHOLD?S LOWER LIMIT IN ORDER TO DEVELOP A NATIONAL STANDARD THAT BETTER REFLECTS THE INHABITANTS? NEEDS AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC CULTURE. THE STUDY DEMONSTRATES HOW THE PROPOSED MODEL BEST FITS THE THERMAL COMFORT CONDITIONS IN SOCIAL HOUSING IN CHILE.

FUEL POVERTY IS COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH FUEL PRICE, ENERGY CONSUMPTION, INCOME AND BUILDING FEATURES TO MAINTAIN COMFORTABLE CONDITIONS. MOST STUDIES ARE BASED ON EXISTING CONDITIONS WITH FUTURE MACRO LEVEL PREDICTIONS. THEREFORE, THERE ARE A LACK OF MICRO SCALE POLICIES AND FURTHER IN-DEPTH RESEARCH IS NEEDED BASED ON THE MULTIVARIABLE COMPLEXITY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE. IN THIS CONTEXT, PUBLIC HOUSING POLICIES HAVE A CHALLENGE IN ORDER TO MEET NOT ONLY THE RIGHT TO HOUSING BUT ALSO AN AFFORDABLE AND COMFORTABLE USE. THE INTENTION OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO DEVELOP AN INDEX TO HELP THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS IN THE EARLY STAGES OF SOCIAL HOUSING ALLOCATION. THE ANALYSES WERE BASED ON THE APPLICABILITY OF ADAPTIVE COMFORT, URBAN CONTEXT AND BUILDING FEATURES, CONSIDERING ENERGY USE AND THE ABILITY TO PAY UTILITY BILLS. BY MEANS OF THESE FACTORS, THE FP POTENTIAL RISK WAS SET AS CRUCIAL IN PUBLIC BUILDING SECTOR DECISION-MAKING AND HOUSING ALLOCATION. METHODOLOGIES BASED ON DYNAMIC SIMULATIONS AND CURRENT ADAPTIVE COMFORT STANDARDS WERE APPLIED TO SOCIAL HOUSING IN THE CENTRAL-SOUTH OF CHILE. RESULTS REVEAL THAT WITHIN THE URBAN CONTEXT, ENERGY CONSUMPTION DIFFERS SIGNIFICANTLY DUE TO BOUNDARY CONDITIONS, WITH FUEL POVERTY POTENTIAL RISK INDEX BEING AN EFFECTIVE INDEX TO ALLOCATE APPROPRIATE HOUSING FOR THE MOST DISADVANTAGED AND VULNERABLE SEGMENTS OF SOCIETY.

ENERGY POVERTY IS A MULTIDIMENSIONAL AND COMPLEX PHENOMENON, AND SEVERAL INDICATORS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED TO EVALUATE AND QUANTIFY IT. HOWEVER, OFTEN GREATER COMPLEXITY DOES NOT MEAN GREATER PRECISION. IN THE CASE OF CHILE, THE ENERGY POVERTY NETWORK ESTABLISHED THE THREE-DIMENSIONAL AND TERRITORIAL INDICATOR OF ENERGY POVERTY (EPTTI IN SPANISH) TO ASSESS THE ENERGY POVERTY SITUATION OF CHILEAN FAMILIES. THE EPTTI IS BASED ON A MULTIDIMENSIONAL APPROACH WITH 10 INDICATORS. ALTHOUGH, THEIR EVALUATION INVOLVES RESOURCES THAT MAY HINDER A PRACTICAL APPLICATION. THIS STUDY ANALYZED THE CONSISTENCY BETWEEN THE INDIVIDUAL RESPONSES OF AN INDICATOR AND THE ADAPTED EPTTI EVALUATION, USING A DATABASE OF 641 FAMILIES. THE RESULTS SHOW THAT THE EXCESSIVE ENERGY EXPENDITURE AND THE TYPE AND ENERGY SOURCE OF HEATING SYSTEMS INDICATORS ARE THE VARIABLES WITH THE GREATEST INFLUENCE ON ENERGY POVERTY ASSESSMENTS. THESE RESULTS SERVED TO BOTH PROPOSE SIMPLIFIED APPROACHES FOR ENERGY POVERTY ASSESSMENT WITH THE INDICATOR, AND ESTABLISH POLICIES OF ACTION THAT REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS SHOULD ADDRESS TO REDUCE THE SITUATION OF ENERGY POVERTY

DOMESTIC HOT WATER (DHW) CONSUMPTION IN DWELLINGS CAN PLAY A KEY ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF POLICIES THAT ARE FOCUSED ON ENERGY POVERTY, AND IN IMPROVING ENERGY EFFICIENCY, AMONG OTHER ASPECTS. THERE IS AN IMPORTANT VARIABILITY OBSERVED WITH DHW AMONG DIFFERENT COUNTRIES DUE TO TECHNICAL, SOCIOLOGICAL, CLIMATIC, AND ECONOMIC FACTORS. MOST STUDIES THAT DEAL WITH DHW PREDICTIONS ARE BASED ON STOCHASTIC MODELS, AND ONLY A FEW APPLY TIME SERIES OR STATISTICAL METHODS. IN THE CASE OF CHILE, THE COUNTRY IS UNDERGOING A POLICY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS, AND THERE IS LITTLE INFORMATION ABOUT DHW CONSUMPTION. AS A RESULT, IT IS FUNDAMENTAL TO HAVE DHW CONSUMPTION PREDICTION MODELS THAT ARE FOCUSED ON DWELLING. FOR THIS REASON, THE STUDY ANALYSED THE POSSIBILITY OF USING TIME SERIES MODELS TO MAKE FUTURE ESTIMATIONS ABOUT MONTHLY DOMESTIC HOT WATER (DHW) CONSUMPTION. TO THIS END, CONSUMPTION DATA OBTAINED FROM 98 APARTMENTS BETWEEN 2015 AND 2021 WERE USED, AND 3 APPROACHES WERE APPLIED NAMELY, EXPONENTIAL SMOOTHING, BASIC STRUCTURAL MODEL (BSM), AND STATE-SPACE MODEL (SSM). THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT EXPONENTIAL SMOOTHING AND STATE-SPACE METHODS ALLOWED TO OBTAIN SATISFACTORY RESULTS WITH REGARD TO PERCENTAGE ERROR AND CONFIDENCE LEVELS. THEREFORE, THESE MODELS COULD BE USED TO MAKE FUTURE ESTIMATIONS OF DOMESTIC HOT WATER (DHW) CONSUMPTION.

INCLUDING RECYCLED WASTE MATERIAL IN CEMENT MIXES, AS SUBSTITUTES FOR NATURAL AGGREGATES, HAS RESULTED IN DIVERSE RESEARCH PROJECTS, NORMALLY FOCUSED ON MECHANICAL CAPACITIES. IN THE CASE OF RECYCLED GLASS AS AN AGGREGATE, THIS PROVIDES A NOTICEABLE IMPROVEMENT IN THERMAL PROPERTIES, DEPENDING ON ITS DOSAGE. THIS IDEA RAISES POSSIBLE CONSTRUCTION SOLUTIONS THAT REDUCE THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND IMPROVES THERMAL BEHAVIOR. FOR THIS RESEARCH, AN EXTENDED BUILDING TYPOLOGY THAT IS SUSCEPTIBLE TO EXPERIENCING THE RISK OF ENERGY POVERTY HAS BEEN CHOSEN. THE TYPOLOGY IS TYPICAL FOR SOCIAL HOUSING, BUILT USING MORTAR BLOCKS WITH CRUSHED GLASS. FIRST, THE BASIC THERMOPHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MORTARS WERE DETERMINED BY LABORATORY TESTS; AFTER THAT, THE DYNAMIC THERMAL PROPERTIES OF REPRESENTATIVE CONSTRUCTIVE SOLUTIONS USING THESE MORTARS WERE SIMULATED IN SEVEN REPRESENTATIVE CLIMATE ZONES IN CHILE. AN ANALYSIS METHODOLOGY BASED ON PERIODIC THERMAL TRANSMITTANCE, ADAPTIVE COMFORT LEVELS AND ENERGY DEMAND WAS RUN FOR THE 21 PROPOSED MODELS. IN ADDITION, THE RESULTS SHOW THAT THERMAL COMFORT HOURS INCREASES SIGNIFICANTLY IN THERMAL ZONES 1, 2, 3 AND 6; FROM 23 H UP TO 199 H DURING A YEAR. IT IS IN THESE ZONES WHERE THE DISTANCE WITH RESPECT TO THE NEUTRAL TEMPERATURE OF THE M50 SOLUTION REDUCES THAT OF THE M25 SOLUTION BY HALF; I.E., IN ZONE 1, FROM ?429 °C WITH THE M25 SOLUTION TO ?864 °C WITH THE M50. THIS RESEARCH INTENDS TO BE A STARTING POINT TO GENERATE AN ANALYSIS METHODOLOGY FOR CONSTRUCTION SOLUTIONS IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT, FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF THERMAL COMFORT.

THIS CHAPTER REVIEWS CURRENT POLICY INSTRUMENTS THAT ARE RELEVANT IN TERMS OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMFORT IN BUILDINGS. BASED ON AN OVERVIEW OF ENERGY INDICATORS WORLDWIDE, IT COMPRISES DETAILED INFORMATION ON TEN LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES: ARGENTINA, BOLIVIA, BRAZIL, CHILE, COLOMBIA, COSTA RICA, ECUADOR, MEXICO, PERU, AND URUGUAY. FOR EACH COUNTRY, THE REVIEW COVERS INFORMATION ON BUILDING ENERGY CODES, ENERGY LABELING, AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMFORT CODES, AMONG OTHER ASPECTS. THE CONCLUSIONS SHOW THAT THERE ARE IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN COUNTRIES, WHERE MOST OF THEM HAVE DEVELOPED INITIATIVES ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN BUILDINGS THAT WOULD INDIRECTLY IMPROVE COMFORT, BUT VERY FEW HAVE DEVELOPED POLICIES AND STANDARDS SPECIFICALLY ON ENVIRONMENTAL COMFORT.

EDITORIAL SPRINGER, SUIZA

ENERGY POVERTY (EP) OCCURS WHEN THERE ARE NO ENERGY SERVICES AVAILABLE OR NOT AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE, OR WHEN HOMES ARE NOT CAPABLE OF MAINTAINING MINIMUM THERMAL COMFORT CONDITIONS. IT IS ASSOCIATED WITH A SERIES OF ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES FOR THE PEOPLES HEALTH AND WITH A HIGHER NUMBER OF DEATHS IN WINTER IN MOST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH WAS TO STUDY WHETHER THE THERMAL COMFORT LEVELS, THE STATE OF THE DWELLINGS, THE HEATING SYSTEMS, THE ENERGY EXPENSES, THE RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES AND THE MEDICAL EXPENSES REPORTED BY SOCIAL HOUSING INHABITANTS IN CENTRAL-SOUTH CHILE, WERE CORRELATED, TO DETERMINE WHICH VARIABLES OR COMBINATION OF VARIABLES ARE MORE RELATED WITH EP SITUATIONS. TO DEFINE THE THERMAL COMFORT LIMITS, A RECENTLY PUBLISHED ADAPTIVE THERMAL COMFORT MODEL FOR LOW INCOME HOUSING IN CHILE WAS USED. THE RESULTS SHOW THAT A THIRD OF THOSE SURVEYED WERE NOT CAPABLE OF KEEPING THEIR HOME COMFORTABLE FOR AT LEAST 80% OF THE TIME AND MORE THAN A FIFTH WERE INCAPABLE OF DOING SO 65% OF THE TIME. ONLY 10% OF THOSE WHO WERE CAPABLE OF KEEPING COMFORT LEVELS MORE THAN 90% OF THE TIME, SPEND LESS THAN US$ 40 A MONTH, WHICH REPRESENTS 10% OF THE MINIMUM CHILEAN WAGE. REDUCING THE TIME THAT TEMPERATURES ARE BELOW THE LOWER COMFORT LIMIT TO 10% CAN MEAN A REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES AND MEDICAL EXPENSES.

ENERGY POVERTY (EP) IS A PROBLEM THAT AFFECTS A LARGE PART OF THE WORLD POPULATION, LEAVING THOSE MOST VULNERABLE TO SUFFER FROM UNHEALTHY INDOOR CONDITIONS IN THEIR HOMES, BEING COLD IN WINTER MONTHS, STRUGGLING WITH THEIR MONETARY SITUATION, AND EVEN REDUCING SOCIAL ACTIVITIES WITH RELATIVES. IN THIS CONTEXT, IT IS IMPORTANT TO ASSESS EP SITUATIONS AND IDENTIFY THOSE FACTORS THAT MOST AFFECT EACH ONE. THIS PAPER, THROUGH THE EVALUATION AND ADAPTATION OF THE THREE-DIMENSIONAL AND TERRITORIAL INDICATOR OF ENERGY POVERTY (EPITT IN SPANISH), DEVELOPED BY THE ENERGY POVERTY NETWORK IN CHILE (REDPE CHILE), ASSESSES THE DIFFERENT EP SITUATIONS IN A SOCIAL-HOUSING CASE STUDY LOCATED IN SOUTH-CENTRAL CHILE. THE RESULTS SHOW DIFFERENT EP SITUATIONS DEPENDING ON THE DIMENSIONS STUDIED, E.G., 35% OF HOUSEHOLDS HAD FOOD AND HYGIENE ISSUES, 27% HAD ISSUES WITH LIGHTING AND ELECTRICAL DEVICES, 72% WITH CLIMATE CONTROL IN THE HOME, AND 68% EXPERIENCED EQUALITY IN ENERGY EXPENDITURE ISSUES. IT IS POSSIBLE TO SAY THAT ENERGY EXPENDITURE IS THE DIMENSION THAT MOST INFLUENCES THE EP SITUATION. FURTHERMORE, THE VALUES IN THE DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS ARE BELOW THE NATIONAL AVERAGE, MAINLY BECAUSE OF THE POOR QUALITY OF HOUSING, LIMITATIONS IN ACCESS TO ENERGY, AND LOW INCOME. IN CONCLUSION, THE ADAPTATION OF EPTTI PROVIDES A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF EP VULNERABILITY AT THE LOCAL SCALE.

TODAY, IDENTIFYING ENERGY POVERTY IS ONE OF THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITYS CHALLENGES. IN THIS SENSE, USING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS) ASSUMES GETTING TO KNOW WHICH AREAS ARE THE MOST VULNERABLE. THIS STUDY CONSIDERS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW TERRITORY ENERGY POVERTY EVALUATION INDICATOR, CALLED POVERTY ADAPTIVE DEGREE HOURLY INDEX (PADHI). THE NOVELTY OF THIS INDICATOR IS THAT IT COMBINES THE NUMBER OF INHABITANTS IN POVERTY WITH THE HOURLY HEATING AND COOLING DEGREES OF EACH CLIMATE, DETERMINED USING ADAPTIVE THERMAL COMFORT LIMITS BASED ON ASHRAE 55-2017. THE AREA STUDIED FOCUSES ON CHILE AND ITS 346 MUNICIPALITIES. THE APPLICATION OF THE ADAPTIVE COMFORT MODEL CAN EXCEED 90% IN THE NORTH OF THE COUNTRY AND BE BELOW 20% IN THE MOST MERIDIONAL AREAS. THE RESULTS ALSO OUTLINED THAT THE MUNICIPALITIES DEFINED AS PADHIS 10TH DECILE ARE THOSE WHICH HAVE A HIGHER RISK OF ENERGY POVERTY IN THEIR POPULATION, A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF INCOME POVERTY AND CLIMATIC SEVERITY. A CLUSTER ANALYSIS WAS ALSO RUN FOR THIS DECILE, IDENTIFYING TWO RISK GROUPS WITH THE AIM OF IDENTIFYING THE CRITICAL AREAS. THIS METHODOLOGY APPLIED TO CHILE, BUT INTERNATIONAL IN NATURE, ALLOWS IDENTIFYING PRIORITY AREAS ON WHICH THE MEASURES NEEDED TO REDUCE ENERGY POVERTY CAN BE FOCUSED.